Second Best
by ramblingsofcrazywomen
Summary: Ronny runs away from home to avoid Bobby; Bobby goes home to find him. Will Ronny get himself out of trouble and prove he doesn't need his big brother to save him? Will Bobby figure out what he really wants to do with his life? RR (Riceman elements.)
1. Ch 1 Running

Second Best

AN. Hello. I am mostly known for my Bobby/Rogue stories. *Or as someone told me to call them riceman!* But after having Bobby running through my mind as I write, a new angle has come to mine. I think there is much potential in Ronny Drake's story. I personally enjoyed reading other peoples' ideas about Bobby's younger brother, but I have decided it was my time to write about him. So please bear with me.

 Please review and tell me what you think.

Bry

sumerstores@aol.com *I am open to people IMing me and I have MSN!*

Disclaimer: Ok, if I was responsible for the creation of X-Men and all the characters it entails, do you think I would be writing fan fiction? I would be working on X3 and running down Shawn Ashmore. So please don't sue me people with all the money!

Chapter 1

Running

            The teenager slammed his door as he ran into his room. Within a couple steps he was at the other side of his room flinging his closet open. He grabbed his black backpack from the back hook in the closet and moved over to his dresser. Flinging the top drawer, he started yanking out clothes and stuffing them in his bag. Systematically he went through the whole dresser, and the backpack was now over flowing. He tossed the bag down and moved back to his closet. Kneeling down, he slammed his hand against one of the wooden floor boards. It popped up, and he stuck his hand down in the hole. He retrieved bunch of papers and a wad of saved cash. Not intending to return he didn't even bother concealing the hiding spot. He put his stash into the backpack and headed for the window. He pushed the window up and pressed the screen out. He started to exit the window when a voice called from down stairs.

            "Ronald Drake, get down here NOW!"

            Ronald, or better known as Ronny, looked from the window to his door. He thought about the consequences. He grunted and dropped his bag to the floor and stormed out of his room. He stomped down the hallway and yelled down the steps, "I have nothing to say to you."

            Madeline Drake looked up at her son. Her dark hair framed her face and her blue eyes were blazing at him. "I have plenty to say to you, mister! Get down here now."

            "I don't want to be in the same space with you! You tell me that news, and you want to talk to me? Leave me the hell alone!" He started to turn away but stopped. "How can you allow him to come back after what he has done? After what he has become!"

            "Bobby is still your brother." Madeline said softly.

            Ronny's face scrunched up. "That freak is nothing to me. He is just some defect!"

             "Bobby is still a member of this family even if he is a…" she still had trouble saying the word.

            "Mutant? Freak! Defect! Yes, Wonder Boy is just so great now isn't he? Just frigging great! He is part of a terrorist group that tries to destroy the world, but let's have him over for dinner some time. I thought you guys were with me regarding this crap. But now you tell me he is coming home. To the place were his friends tried to burn us down?"

            Madeline sighed as she walked up the steps. "Bobby is different, yes, but it has been over a year since we have seen him. He is still a member of this family."

            Ronny turned from her. He couldn't stand the sight of her. "If he is part of this family, then I'm not!"

            She managed to get behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He jerked away. "Honey, you don't mean that."

            He stared at the floor. "I thought I was done playing second best to Bobby. Bobby was perfect for so long. Great athlete, good grades, never got into trouble, and everybody loved him. He even got accepted into some fancy prep school." He laughed. "But then he came and told us the truth, and he wasn't perfect any more. I was finally better then him. I was normal. But now you are telling me he is welcomed back to this family like some fucking prodigal son? Well fuck you. I am better then dealing with his kind."

            Madeline clutched her fist and her eyes welled up. Her baby wasn't the same boy she thought he was. Just like Bobby. "Where do you think you are going to go mister? You are only 16." She tried touching him again.

            "Get the hell away from me!" He shoved her aside. "You have the son you want! You don't need me!" He ran to his room. With one last look at his mother, his own eyes filled with tears, he said, "You don't need me, and I don't need you." For the second time in the day, Ronny slammed his door closed, but this time he bolted it with the dead bolt he installed after the freaks had attacked his house. He heard the floor boards squeak as his mother approached the door. He picked up his bag again and headed to the window.

            "Ronny? Ronny open this door. Ronald? We are going to sit down and talk about this as soon as you father gets home. Ronny? Ronny, please answer me."

            Little did she know she was talking to an empty room.

            Ronny crawled across the roof top trying to make it to the edge. He dangled his feet off and fought the feeling of fright. He was never totally fond of heights. He inhaled deeply and dropped the backpack down. Cringing as he heard it crunch against the ground, he turned around and eased himself over the edge. His feet dangled for a moment until it anchored against the house. He started climbing down one of the white pillars flanking the porch. He didn't look down until he felt the railing of the porch against his sneaker. He managed to let go and tumbled down to the lush green lawn. It had taken the year for the scorched grass to be replaced by the new greens. 

            Ronny stretched and grabbed his backpack. He shrugged it on his shoulders and began to run. He wanted to be as far away from this place as possible. To be as far away from a family that didn't need him.

            AN. So what do you guys think? Please review. I want to know if anybody is interested in this kind of story.

Thanks.

Bry

sumerstormes@aol.com

HIT THE PURPLE BUTTON! PLEASE!


	2. Ch 2 Choices

Second Best

AN. Thanks every one for reviewing! I am ill right now, so that gives me time to write. Keep on reviewing and telling me what you think!

Love to all reviewers,

Bry

Sumerstormes@aol.com

Chapter 2

Choices

            Bobby Drake wasn't as different from Ronny as his brother thought. He sat alone in his room at Xavier's School for Gifted Children pondering a choice. In his hands he fiddled with the com-link that every member of the X-Men team carried. On the desk in front of him were a collection of school books. The books belonged in the dorm room more so then the com-link. He ran his finger over the X forged out of the silver like metal. 

            His choice involved the very institution he lived at. Not long after his fifteenth birthday, he received a letter congratulating him on his efforts in his first year in high school. The writer, Professor Charles Xavier, offered him the chance to study in his boarding school in upper New York State. In the brochure included in the packet, it talked about all the opportunities available at his school including almost one-on-one teacher interaction, excelled classes, and numerous field trips across the state. It terrified him to think about moving out of his home, but after talking about it with his parents; they agreed to setup an interview with the professor. His parents had always been extra concerned with his college education, and they would permit anything that would allow him the chance to enter an Ivy-League school. 

            The professor came one day to their house since he had business in Boston, and accompanying him was the school's doctor, Dr. Jean Grey. While the professor talked with his parents about all their concerns, Dr. Grey sat him down for an interview. He remembered sitting there, being scared about his first interview ever, tugging on his shirt collar since it felt like it was choking him. She asked him a few questions, her steady green eyes staring at him, and then took a pamphlet out of her bag. "Read this when you are alone." She said softly, and motioned him to put it away. They both got up and met with his parents.

            Later when he read the pamphlet, he realized he was not alone. It spoke about the one thing he feared. That he was alone. Recently, he always felt cold, sometimes so cold his own breathe condensed when he breathed. He didn't think to terribly about it except he always wore heavy sweaters, even though it was summer. He became concerned when one day he woke up and realized his hand was frozen to his pillow. In fact the pillow was a block of ice. The pamphlet spoke about how Xavier's school was a place for mutants to learn how to control their powers, and to be protected from the world which was becoming more hostile to them. It barely took some encouraging for his parents to send him to an ultra academic school, although Bobby himself was terrified. He had never left home before, and he didn't know what he would do without his parents and his thirteen year old brother Ronny. They had always been close, and now he had to leave him because he was different. After he left, that's when things changed between Ronny and him.

            Ronny started to become hostile, and many times Bobby received emails and letters from him talking about how there were mutants in his schools, and how freakish they were. Bobby always joked them off, but it scared him that his own brother wouldn't have been able to accept him. So he didn't tell his family for two years.

            Then one day it all changed. The school had been attacked by the US Army because of the organization that hid below the school's floors. Though the school was genuine, it also proved as a wonderful front for the X-Men. Every teacher in the school was a member of this team set up to protect the human and mutant race from the attacks from humans and mutants alike. He was fortunate to get out of the building alive along with his best friend and enemy John, his new girlfriend Rogue, and the very hostile Logan, who wasn't exactly a teacher or an X-Man then. 

            They took a car and retreated to Boston where Dr. Grey and another teacher, Ororo Munroe, also known as Storm, were searching for the mutant who attacked the president. They stopped at his house, and changed from their PJ's, when his parents came home. They were scared to see their son with these strangers, and demanded an explanation immediately. So he told them what he had been hiding for two years. He was a mutant.

            They flipped out, not understanding how this could happen to them. Rogue tried to show the positive effects of his mutation, but they didn't understand. He had lied to them about who he really was. Ronny was the most upset, judging from the fact he called the cops on them. John didn't appreciate the sentiment, and used his fire wielding power to torch Bobby's house pretty well. Eventually Rogue stopped him with her mutant ability, she stole his power, and then Dr. Grey and Storm came with the highly advanced jet, the Blackbird. Before he boarded the jet, he looked up and saw his parents hugging Ronny, watching Bobby make a choice. He thought he saw Ronny mouth, "I hate you." 

            And then Bobby left. The events that happened afterward were extraordinary. The Air Force followed the Black bird and shot them down before becoming victims of Storm's tornados. He almost lost Rogue since her seat belt didn't fasten, but the mutant who attacked the president saved her. Before they crashed, they were saved by their most notorious enemy Magneto and his accomplice Mystique. They then went to a base called Alkali Lake because a military doctor was planning on killing all the mutants in the world using the professor, who had the ability to connect his mind with everyone else's in the world using a device called Cerebro. Before the X-Men saved the day, John left the jet despite what Storm told them, and he went off with Magneto, who abandoned them. Rogue and him were attacked by the professor and almost died from the pain, the dam exploded, and Dr. Jean Grey was killed saving them launching the disabled jet into the sky using her powers.

            That day took all of Bobby's innocence away. That very day he was given a suit, and was named a member of the X-Men.

            And that brought him back to present day. He had a choice to make again. He stared at the college applications sitting on his desk. He could leave the nest that he had made his home, or he could continue his education like he always dreamt of. He toyed with the link on his desk, not knowing what he could do. 

Bobby had already done the most challenging thing. He had phoned his parents. He had thought of doing so during that year, but he couldn't bring himself up to it. He was afraid of what they would say. But the week before, he phoned his mother, and she all but started crying on the phone. She wanted him to visit home. His family wanted him back. He made plans of going during Thanksgiving vacation, and decide his choice then. 

Setting the link down, he stood up from his desk chair. He stretched and walked down out of his room, one of hundreds in this lavish Victorian mansion. Walking down the hallway, he shot glances into the doors he past. Students were doing there homework, or fooling around. He saw some of their faces, and wondered if he had ever been that young.

Bobby walked down the grand staircase to the first floor. He ran a hand through his brown hair and sighed. His hair was a tad longer then usual, but he had been too worried about college to even think about getting a hair cut. There were bags under his piercing blue eyes that were usually filled with laughter and good humor. 

He walked into the main Rec. room and glanced at the kids watching TV or fooling around with the foosball table. He almost felt like he didn't belong. He felt old. Even though he was eighteen years old, the last year really aged him. Being a junior member of the X-Men meant long hours of training and doing the heavy load of homework. Only a select few of other kids his age were even considering doing what he did in a day. 

In the corner, he saw one of the only people actually doing what he was doing. Her dark brown hair was cut shorter then normal with two long wisps of hair framing her face. She fondly called them her skunk strips. She sat with a younger student, tutoring him which looked to be a math problem. Math wasn't Rogue's strong point, but considering this student was almost ten years younger then him, Bobby thought she could handle it. 

He went over to the couch, and without ceremony squished between to flirting teens. Tracie gave him the evil eye, her Scottish temper brewing. He just smiled at her as he promptly stole the remote off her.

"That isn't very nice, Bobby." her words blurred in her anger. "We were watching that!"

Bobby channeled surfed looking for the baseball game. "Sure you were. That's why Jaime is red as a beat." He smiled when he saw the Red Sox fill the widescreen. "Go cuddle somewhere else; I just know the Sox are going to make it."

Jamie diplomatically remained quiet, even though his fair skin did burn brighter. Tracie had other ideas. "Bobby Drake, I can just scream." If anyone else had made the threat he wouldn't have been worried, but Tracie's codename was Syrin, and with one peep, he could be withering on the ground in pain. She looked over at Jaime. Tracie stood up and shook her blonde hair. "Come on Jaime. Let's leave this waste of particles alone." she paused to give him a death stare. "I bet no one will be by the fountain." 

He barely glanced as the teens left, though he felt a smile form on his face. Dating in the mutant world wasn't tough when you lived with your crush every day. He watched the game, and cursed the score. He was so involved he didn't notice when someone sat down next to him. 

"…I never really noticed how cute Scott was before."

Bobby's head turned sharply. "What?"

Rogue's green eyes sparkled back at him. "Gotcha!"

"Very funny." he muttered. "How is your day going?"

She leaned against him, one of her gloved hands sat on his knee. "For a Saturday? Not bad. I finally think little Sammie knows how to multiply." She looked him over. "Are you ok, Bobby?"

He looked down at her. Even though they were sitting, he still towered over her frame. "I'm just dandy. Couldn't ask for more. Well, maybe if the Sox could win…"

She leaned up. "I know you Drake. What's eating you?"

He looked around the room, and noticed almost everybody had cleared out. "Well maybe since I haven't kissed you in a while." He bent down quickly before she could protest, and he slid his mouth onto hers. He wrapped his arms around her and enjoyed the sensation, even though in the back of his mind he was counting. 5 Mississippi, 4 Mississippi… When he hit one, he felt the pull of her power. Before his heart was jumpstarted literally, he pulled back and smiled at her. 

She gave him a stern look, even though there was pleasure in her eyes. "You know," she exhaled a stream of ice, "I could really hurt you."

He shook his head cockily. "Only if you broke my heart."

She hit his arm, but her eyes were still filled with concerned. "Just keep on being careful." She cuddled into his arms.

They sat there for a bit, while they watched the game. The one thing Bobby would miss about the school would be Rogue. When she came almost a year and half ago, she was frightened all the time. She had been on the run ever since her powers manifested. With one touch, if you held on to her, she could suck life force, or if you were a mutant, your power. She was the only other person he knew that covered up as much as he usually did. And after a year of dating, she still wasn't comfortable with his touching her, although he would like to think that he was building up and immunity to her power. She would rather say she was barely controlling it better. Even though she considered her mutation a curse, he considered it a gift since it brought her to him. 

She stirred in his arms. "What's that vibrating?"

Bobby gave her a smile, "Well my dear, when a guy and…Oh!" He rubbed his shoulder. "What was that for?" 

"For being a male, but seriously, is that your phone going off?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his newly earned cell phone. He had forgotten he put it on vibrate. "Oh. Hold on." He pressed the on button and placed it to his ears. "Hello? City morgue, you stab them, we slab them. Oh!" he sent Rogue a look. She smiled innocently. "Mom? Sorry. Yes, I know my humor is morbid. How are you? It's nice for you to call me." There was a longing in his voice. 

Rogue leaned in and tried to listen, but stopped when his face paled. 

"Ronny? Are you sure? No, it's not a problem. I'll be on the next train. Yes mom, it won't be like last time. What did you find? I'll be there soon." He hung up the phone and stared ahead for a moment.

"Bobby, what's wrong?"

"Ronny. My brother ran away yesterday."

"Ran away, could he have… become a mutant?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so. My mom found something in his room. I think he left because of me. I think he…" He couldn't speak. "I need to get a ride to the station. I need to help my family look for him."

She stood up. "I'll go with you."

Bobby shook his head. "No, I need to go on my own. My family isn't over our last visit. I think it would be better if it was just me." He looked at her. Even though she tried to always be tough, he knew she was hurt. "Don't worry. I will be back soon. I'll call you every chance I can get." He hugged her with all his might.

"I'll drive you."

            "But you don't have a car." 

            She smiled sweetly. "I can always convince Logan to lend me his bike."

            He envisioned them flying down the windy roads, and he laughed. He laughed harder then he had in awhile.

HIT THE PURPLE/BLUE BUTTON! PLEASE!


	3. Ch 3 Worthiness

Second Best

AN. Gotta love snow! Since my school is closed today, I have extra time which I can write! Yeah! I am sorry I am slow on the updates, but being a senior is stressful! Please keep up the great job with reviewing!

Love to all reviewers,

Bry

Chapter 3

Worthiness

            Ronny stepped out of the subway tunnel and stared up at the towering New York skyscrapers. Only a little bit of the sun peeked through the metal giants, but the humidity was up still the same. He started walking down the wide side walk, pretending that he belonged to this city. He had run away only a week ago, but he was trying to forget as much of his past as possible. It didn't hurt to think he could be home in his cool room, instead of sleeping in a doorway stoops in the dirtiest parts of the city. But Ronny was trying to be as frugal as possible. Though he had a few hundred with him, he knew he was going to need the money to buy his way into the society. 

            Ronny felt proud of himself for being able to hitchhike all the way across state lines and across the Hudson River into the city. Although a few times his drivers looked like they wanted more then the ten he gave them. He could have bought a train ticket, but he wanted to prove that he was able to take care of himself.

            He pulled out one of the papers he had stuffed in his pocket and looked at the address. He then pulled out the map of the city he had bought that morning when he bought his candy bar for breakfast. His eyes scrunched up as he looked for where he had to go. The lines on the map blurred for a second, but he forced himself to focus. It might have taken him a few minutes to find the street name, but he knew where he had to go. It looked to be about 30 blocks from where he was but he had nothing but time.

            His shoes slapped against the pavement and puddles, but he ignored them. According to the piece of paper he should be right where the place was, but all he saw was an abandoned building. He walked around the grime and stared at the wooden planks nailed shut across the door. He cautiously put a hand on the wood. It took his reserve of courage to knock. It sounded through the alley way, but nothing happened. He cursed silently, and stepped back. 

            He pulled on the collar of his tee-shirt and wiped the sweat dripping off his neck. It was really hot. Ronny stuffed his other hand in his pocket and took out the piece of paper. He thought for sure this would be the place for him to go. Now that it seemed to be a cruel joke. Ronny had left everything he new to end up in a back alley in New York. He sat down on a crate in front of the door and pondered his options. He could always go back home, but his blood still boiled at the thought of having a mutant in his family. 

            He opened his black back pack and started digging through, looking for the other candy bar he had bought. His blue eyes were too concerned with his quest that he didn't hear the scratch of wood. Ronny saw the glint of metal before it struck him on his back. 

            The black bag fell out of his lap, and the contents of the bag scattered. He landed on his stomach with the air knocked out of him. He couldn't believe he was getting mugged. Fighting the urge to cry, he rolled on his back, and just managed to miss the next swing of the bat. The metal echoed against the pavement, and the assailant looked stunned. Ronny rolled again, biting his lip when he felt the shards glass cut through his tee-shirt. 

            He didn't know how but he managed to get on his knees and propel himself onto his feet. The guy must have gotten out of his case of shock because he didn't waste anytime swinging what Ronny saw as a metal bat. It hit his arm, and Ronny cursed. He staggered back, but he managed to miss the next couple of swings. The adrenaline pumped through his system, and he did the first thing that came to his mind. He ran. 

            Although he was never on the track team at home, but the coach had asked him more then once to consider joining. His long legs ate the ground, and he could have been a contender for States, but Ronny didn't want to be apart of anything Bobby would consider doing. But now, with pure terror running through his body, he ran like he had never run before. His eyes were blinded with sweat, and he didn't pay much attention to where he was going, but all he knew was that he had to get away from the metal. He ran around corners and jumped over the trash ridden street, but he heard the footsteps keeping up with him. 

            Ronny only needed to get to the main street, but he seemed to be running deeper and deeper into the slums. He ran into a parking lot, and looked for away out. There was a six foot fence blocking his path into another street. He ran against the pavement, but tripped over his own feet. His shoulder hit against a blue car and he cowered on the ground. The assailant had stopped running and was walking towards him. 

            The man was looked to be in his twenties, and the bat was gripped in his left hand. His dark hair billowed in his eyes, and his sunglasses glinted in the sun. 

Ronny groaned; black and blue marks were already covering his arm, and he could feel the blood trickling down his back. The man stood next to him, he placed the other end of the bat in his hand, just staring at him. He raised the bat, getting ready to swing, when Ronny used what was left of his strength and kicked the guy between his legs. The guy went down with a groan. Ronny got up slowly and swayed. He walked over to the fence and jumped up. 

His sneakers caught in the rungs, and he pulled up and climbed with his shoulder screaming. He got near the top, and had to fight with his fear of heights. He swung his leg over and groaned as the barbed wire tore into his leg. Scurrying like a monkey down the wire, he hunched over and coughed to catch his breath. 

            The man was still on the ground, and Ronny turned when he heard someone clapping. He saw the man walking towards him, his smile a mile wide. 

"Nice work." his voice carried a British lit. 

Ronny breathed heavy, "What the in Hell…"

The man stuck out his hand, and Ronny was hesitant to shake. "No worries. You proved yourself."

"Proved myself?" 

"You took down Mikhail nicely enough. No real style, but you got the job done. I need people like you."

"Who are you?" Ronny had a vague inkling what was going on. He gulped. 

The man smiled as a rattling was heard from behind him the guy named Mikhail jumped down and walked near the blond headed man. He mumbled something to Mikhail before he turned back to Ronny. "My name's Spencer Marx." He walked toward him. "I am a business major at NYU, but most people know me as the Leader." He picked the flyer out of his pocket. It resembled Ronny's. "Since this went into mass publication, I have been testing all new recruits with this method. If Mik here doesn't smash your head in, you're worth a second look. Let's hope you prove worthy, since Mik doesn't like getting kicked in the balls, much." He grin became larger. "Follow me." He turned around with Mikhail following him. Ronny did what he only thought he could. He became a Follower.

AN. That is one of the most detailed action scene's I have ever written. If you read, please review, it motivates me to update (although I update without). Keep up the good job!

Bry

Sumerstormes@aol.com

HIT THE BLUE BUTTON! PLEASE!


	4. Ch 4 On the Verge

Second Best

An. Thanks for all the reviews, though I don't mind constructive criticism too! Mid-terms are over, so the senior slide begins, so that means I get to write more. *waits for applause from the crowd, but sighs when there is none* Keep up the great work and I will keep on writing.

Love to all reviewers, *hey I am in a good mood, I'll love you even if you don't review!*

Bry

Sumerstormes@aol.com *talk to me anytime*

Chapter 4

On the Verge

            Bobby's head jumped off the back seat of the cab. "What?" he mumbled.

            "We're here, buddy. That be 25.50 some time this year." The cab driver didn't even bother to talk to him. 

            Bobby shook his head as he dug his hand into his pocket. He must have fallen asleep during the ride from the train station. He had been up since he had left the mansion the night before and he hadn't been able to sleep on the train with the worry building up inside him. He tossed the money at the driver and pushed the rusted cab door open. His bag hung on his shoulder, and he walked up the driveway that swept up to his house.

            Even though the temperature was in the low seventies, he gripped his black leather jacket closer to his frame. Usually he was able to control his mutation, but under severe stress, it had a mind of its own, and sometimes it even made him feel chilled to the bone.

            His feet dragged up the stairs that looked a lot better then the last time he had seen them charred. If this was a normal visit he would have opened the door himself, but since he didn't feel like he belonged he just pushed the door bell. 

            It took moments for his mother to open the door, but when he saw her face he just witnessed relief. "My baby." she cried out as she lunged to hug Bobby. He hugged back as she stroked his hair. "My baby, I missed you so much. Oh, I don't care anymore Bobby. You're still mine no matter what you are." She held on, not realizing her tears were crystallizing on her face. She leaned back and looked up. "You got so tall. Oh, and so handsome!"

            He let out a little smile. "Whatever, Mom." but he felt a blush building. "Where is Dad?"

            "Right here." William Drake stood behind his wife, his welcome not as open as hers, but he felt a slight relief to be able to see one of his sons alive and well. "It's good to see you, Robbie. Let's hope we can just find Ronny now." 

            Bobby nodded as his mom dragged him into the house. "What happened? What caused him to run?" He sat his bag down in the entrance way, and followed them into the living room.

            Madeline's blue eyes filled with tears again. "We fought. He was so dead set against your not coming back… He started yelling and screaming at me. Ronny was so hateful. I told him we would talk when Dad got back, but he barred himself into his room." She stopped, trying to gain her strength back. "When he didn't answer the door later, we thought nothing about it since he was always having his temper tantrums, but when he didn't come out for breakfast in the morning, Dad took the hinges off the door and found he was gone. We wanted to call the cops, but since we found…" She stopped. 

            William continued. "We haven't been a favorite with the cops since…the incident. And with this piece of evidence, we weren't sure if they would be overly sympathetic. That's why we called you."

            "What did you find? You just said he ran because of me. What could cause the police to just ignore your citizen rights?"

            Madeline left the room without saying anything. William looked at his son. "We just know this is bad. We haven't been too fair with you this year, but you lied to us Robbie. Your lying caused Ronny to break down. We can't just leave him go. We need help. He needs your help. And we thought with your connections, with the professor's, you would be able to find him…"

            "We found this in the hole in his closet. I don't know what kind of funds he had, or if he took any drugs, but we know this is involved." She handed a red piece of paper to him.

            He took it into his hand, his fingers feeling shaky. "Oh Ronny." He looked up at his parents. "This is bad. Bad. He wants to become…" He felt physically sick. "I need to go to his room… I need to make a call. I need…" He jumped up from the couch and ran up the steps. 

            Madeline sat down next to her husband. "I guess it isn't any better then it looks."

            "We raised a good son. He will help us get Ronny home before he does anything stupid." He picked a piece of ice off her pale skin. "I think we can turn off the air conditioner." he said in an attempt to be humorous.

            She just cried.

            Marie D'Ancanto was looking over her physics' notes, trying to figure out what harmonic motion was about, when she just gave up. Her roommate Jubilee was out of room, but her eccentric personality screamed through the posters stuck to the noble Victorian walls. Rogue was glad she was alone, because she just knew something was wrong. Bobby's face had been too pale when he boarded the train the night before, and every time they were apart, she felt different. It wasn't like she couldn't survive without Bobby at her side every minute, but the self proclaimed Rogue didn't mind his presence. He made her laugh, and rarely made her cry. His attitude was just great to be around except for recently. Something was wrong before he got the call from his parents, but for the life of her, Rogue couldn't figure out what.

            They had everything they needed at the school. Friends, security, a great job in the X-men, and each other, but Bobby didn't seem happy. 

            Her thoughts were interrupted by her com-link going off. She unclipped it from her belt loop, and placed it in her ear. "Scott? Logan? What's wrong?"

            "Rogue, it's me." 

            "Bobby, are you alright? Did you get to Boston alright?"

            He sighed. "You can say that."

            She narrowed her bottle green eyes. "What happened."

            "Marie, I need you to run a check through The Prof's files, but there is one thing you have to do."

            "What?" Bobby wasn't sounding the same as usual.

            "I know you learned how to keep things on the down low when Scott showed you the trades of computer hacking. I need you… You need to look this up without anyone else knowing."

            She almost dropped the link. "You want me to hack through the X-Men hard drive, and you want me to make sure no one else knows… What drugs are you taking? What is going on Bobby?"

            Bobby's voice shacked. "No one can find out, because I know they would want me to come in to give them all the details. They would take this as a chance to bring them down, and all I need to do is get my brother before they… before he does something stupid that I won't be able to help him out of."

            "Bobby," she said slowly, "where did Ronny go?"

            He laughed weakly. "New York. I think he went to join… I think he is trying to become a member of Friends for Humanity."

            "But…" she stopped. "He would want to become an assassin?" 

            "I doubt he knows that. He has always been part of anti-mutant stuff, but I doubt he knows what the group is about. I can't afford a big X-Men style mission. It could take months to get someone to go underground, and by then Ronny could be long gone before we can dismantle them." He paused. "Rogue, I need you to get whatever the Professor has on them. I need to get to him now."

            She stared off into space. "I'll do what I can Bobby, but I don't know what I can do. The server is pretty high-tech…" She knew what she was saying on death ears. "I'll do what I can. I'll email what you need as soon as I get it."

            "Thank you Marie. I'll keep in touch." He ended the call.

            She took the com-link from against her ear. "I love you too."

            She looked down at her forgotten physics homework. She needed wished she could work on that instead of the mission that was set out in front of her. She hoped Bobby knew what he was getting into.

AN. Kinda short I know. Keep reading and I'll keep writing.

Bry

Hit the BLLLLUUUE BUTTON PLEASE!


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